Boon, Eggleston win RSF HOA election

Ann Boon, ousted earlier this year as president of the Rancho Santa Fe homeowners association, has been re-elected to the board along with an ally, Kim Eggleston.

The pair ran together on a platform of transparency, after raising questions about compensation and other issues at the association.

They bested Dominick Addario and Susan Callahan, candidates who said they wanted to bring back civility that had been lost under Boon’s leadership earlier this year when she publicly questioned the manager’s contract and the HOA’s tax filing.

It was an unprecedented campaign season, with Eggleston, Boon and their supporters making extra efforts to campaign through websites, mailers, signs and a voter-registration drive.

Homeowners took notice, casting 1,544 ballots, more than any other election in recent history, according to association staff. Voter turnout reached nearly 75 percent.

Addario, a psychiatrist, and Callahan, a communications director for a humanitarian relief organization, were endorsed by the association’s nomination committee and a long-standing local political action group, and both have spouses who previously served on the board.

Addario said their loss concerns him, and came as a surprise.

“We were confident without question,” Addario said. “I think what we have learned from this election is, we have a very serious problem with regard to campaign funding monitoring and it has to be addressed sooner than later.”

Callahan said, “I think that Dominick Addario and I did very well with the spending against us. It was kind of David and Goliath, if you will.”

Both said they spent much more meager amounts than their opposition, although no campaign disclosures are required.

Eggleston, a real estate investor, said he was an unfamiliar name to most of the community, and there was a need to introduce himself and educate people on the issues.

“This was kind of an education effort really to let people know there were issues and it’s not all roses and flower beds and hummingbirds fluttering about,” Eggleston said. “It’s a beautiful place, and I think one of our challenges is to assure everyone that 21st Century technological amenities and the beauty of the ranch are not mutually exclusive. You can have both.”

Boon said the campaign effort was warranted.

“The core of opposition to us was very strong and you have to be creative and energetic to overcome that,” Boon said. “So many more people are involved now. So many people are excited.”

As for the win, she said, “I really feel that it’s an endorsement of all I have been trying to do and what I will continue to do, which is be honest and open and ask good questions and include as many people as possible in the process.”

At the top of Eggleston and Boon’s agenda are two simple changes: hold board meetings at night so more people can attend, and record the meetings and post recordings online, they said. They also want a multi-stakeholder group to begin developing a long range master plan.

Earlier this year Eggleston sought association employee pay figures and questioned the $290,000 compensation package for the manager Pete Smith, who has been on leave for several months and will retire June 30.

“In leaner times, like any government or business, it has to be run in an efficient manner. That’s all we ever advocated. We didn’t want to turn the world upside down,” Eggleston said.